My opinion that the slow cooker is only indicated when food must appear on the table in a functional manner with reduced expectations of flavor and texture has now found one glorious exception: Kahlua pig. As good as- nay, better than- any authentic Kahlua pig I ate on the islands. So true. And it’s made in the slow cooker!!?!?!?!? Biggest. cooking (life?). hack. ever.

Is this classy enough to serve at a big holiday party? YES! Easy enough to make during the holidays when it feels like all you are doing is cooking food, and you JUST want a night off? YES! Versatile? Pleases the pickiest eaters? At the risk of sounding like a pork infomercial, YES and YES!!

Sixteen hours of slow cooker spa treatment with a little garlic, a little bacon, and a generous coating of Hawaiian alae salt (sea salt + volcanic clay) yields THE juiciest, brownest, most tender and flavorful pork you will probably ever put in your mouth. How it manages to get a gorgeous caramelized crust in a slow cooker is a mystery to me. Probably related to the Maillard reaction, but also probably (definitely) magic.

Line your slow cooker with the bacon slices. Tuck garlic cloves into pork, and sprinkle salt all over pork (see note!). Place roast on top of bacon in slow cooker, and cook on LOW for 16 hours.

When pork is cooked (and OMG will your house smell AMAZING!), remove meat from slow cooker to shred- this is important because if you shred it in the liquid it will be WAY too salty! Taste pork for seasoning and adjust by adding some of the pork juices. Save the remaining juice in the fridge, and add it to any pork that you decide to reheat for leftovers!

Notes

A good rule of thumb for salting meat: ¾ tsp medium-coarse salt per lb of meat; half that amount if using fine salt.

I reeeeeeally do think Hawaiian salt makes a flavor difference!! You can order it online from Avanti Savoia or Amazon. It's not expensive and will last a long time!

It was hard to stop eating, but I did actually have leftovers to freeze (and it freezes really well). I used this pork in place of the slow cooker pork listed in my Ultimate Carnitas Nachos and they were SO GOOD!! Just pop thawed pork in the micro with some of the leftover juices (or a little chicken broth) and reheat gently.